


let's dance

by bukkunkun



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Communication, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Gen, Headcanon, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Inspired by Music, Inspired by Twitter, Kingdom Hearts III Speculation, Loneliness, M/M, Missing Scene, Pets, Promises, Romance, Slow Dancing, Video Game Mechanics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-05-13 13:08:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14749472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bukkunkun/pseuds/bukkunkun
Summary: God, he’d missed Sora. He was sogladthey had this.Sora and Riku go on two dates to the Symphony of Sorcery.An alternative interpretation (of sorts?) to KH3D, and some speculation about KH3 which will get immediately obliterated by the end of this year, as of posting, 2018.





	1. {dream drop distance}

**Author's Note:**

> > me and -19208129830 lvl self esteem: if i wrote a fic a nice artist wanted to see but not explicitly tell them i wrote it for them will they love me and give me the validation i doth crave  
>    
>  (read: im writing soriku going on a date in the symphony of sorcery.)
>> 
>> — bukkun @ vanifucker69 | oh, wormnitas? (@trickscd) [24 May 2018](https://twitter.com/trickscd/status/999503424365346817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> 
> hi i stalk twitter artists because im shy and gay but i do know a-a certain s-someone was looking for kh3d fic abt sorikus going back to the symphony of sorcery and at the time i-i really wanted to but it's hard, so hard to interpret that world in writing. so, got, dang, hard. got the hang of it eventually tho so i hope.......... u like this....
> 
> anyway as much as i like linking my fics together they're not actually Directly Linked To Each Other Unless Stated Otherwise (read: runs on happy faces/the day that never came) but you can bet your sweet ass i'll keep linking them somewhat because a bitch gotta grind for them sweet sweet hits amirite
> 
> anyway please make friends with me on twitter i love friendships that involve actual interaction thank u............

There was a system he and Sora fell into so easily, it really did feel like they were adventuring together, side by side, instead of hundreds and hundreds of miles in dreams apart. Joshua had told him Sora could be next to him, so close their hands would meld into each other like a longing touch that said all the words Riku never could, or Sora could be thousands of miles away, light-years upon light-years, dancing on the light of expired stars, long-gone, millenniums ago.

Back then, even before he knew what they could do, he had scoffed, elbowed the teen lightly, and said, “You just missed Neku.”

Of course, Joshua had to reply, “Like the way you miss Sora, I figure?”

And that was when Riku figured things out.

Even so far apart, he knew he and Sora shared everything—items, magic commands, munny, and even Spirits—each one coming with a tiny little tag on its body somewhere in Sora’s messy handwriting with its name on it.

Of course, the Meow Wow quickly became Sora’s favourite, and he’d named it Nachos. Riku got his hands on some paper in La Cite Des Cloches, and decided to try something out.

* * *

When Sora came to, he realised Nachos had been licking his face to wake him. He giggled, rolling off one of the roofs in the Court of Miracles, and realised the Spirit had Riku’s unnamed Komory Bat on its head, a note held between its perpetually grinning fangs.

‘ _Please make sure to link with Peach Pie a few more times. There’s a command I’ve been eyeing._ ’ It said, and Sora’s smile widened as his Majik Lapin appeared next to him, expectantly rubbing its head on his palm.

Riku, in the end, was never far away from him. He could never really stay away—and not even the realm of dreams could keep them apart.

“You got it, Riku.” He nodded, holding the small paper to his heart comfortingly. “But you better pick up the slack for me, too.”

* * *

When Riku woke up, he was jolted awake by crooning Spirits, Nachos practically crushing him with its weight, and on top of its head, Sora’s Me Me Bunny Peppermint held out a paper for him to read.

‘ _I’ve unlocked the node for you! Your turn with Peppermint for me._ ’

Riku smiled softly, and held the paper to his lips.

God, he’d missed Sora. He was so _glad_ they had this.

* * *

Soon, Sora and Riku settled into the rhythm of sending each other letters through their Dream Eaters, Nachos almost always trying to eat the colourful paper they used out of sheer curiosity.

‘ _Why doesn’t your Komory Bat have a name?_ ’

‘ _That’s a secret. Figured out how to use Mega Flare when we dive?_ ’

‘ _Can you rack up some Munny for some potions? I’m having a hard time in the Grid right now._ ’

It felt comforting, to see messages sent to each other even across time and space. Riku knew, that somehow, even while he was awake, Sora was, too, despite what all the sleeping told him otherwise. That time in Traverse Town where they were together—despite being phantoms they couldn’t touch—told Riku Sora was on the same path as he was, awake, and just as tireless as he was. He knew they were going through the exact same worlds, the same sights and fighting the same enemies, and he found himself smiling as he imagined Sora’s phantom running around with him, fighting alongside him like they both had hoped at the start of the exam.

‘ _God, Monstro’s still as disgusting as ever._ ’

‘ _That’s weird, I’m in a theme park right now._ ’

‘ _Not fair. By the way, did you make anything new?_ ’

‘ _A Juggle Pup. I named it Marshmallow. Isn’t it cute? I coloured it white, too!_ ’

‘ _So that’s where the Munny went._ ’

Well—they weren’t in the _exact same_ world all the time, but Riku knew there was some sort of cause and effect between his and Sora’s sides of the worlds. A fact made especially obvious as Riku turned the cog he got in the Country of the Musketeers, when he heard Pete exclaim in displeasure outside.

He was bleeding in the side, with some cuts and bruises here and there, but he’d made it. Right in the nick of time, too, and he could feel drowsiness settling in. Soon, he would fall asleep and he’d receive a new letter from Sora.

“Oh, thank you, Riku!” Minnie—still a princess, in this world, and it made Riku smile. “You’ve truly saved the day!”

“No problem,” he nodded, wiping his mouth with the back of his wrist, and tasted blood. He frowned, and he shook his head. “I’ve got a friend right on the other side, to take care of things, so don’t you worry.”

He heaved a sigh of relief when Minnie waved her hand over him, and a Cure spell washed over his fatigued body. He smiled at her, and leaned heavily on Nachos, who quickly came up to let him rest, meow-barking softly.

“Th-thanks.” He nodded, and suddenly something flashed in his eyes.

“ _Beagle Boys! Get over here!_ ” he heard Pete’s voice echo like he was hearing it underwater, and he groaned softly, grasping his temple.

“Wh-what?”

“ _That’s right!_ ” Sora’s voice, this time, louder, more firmly, and he could see Sora’s hand resting on his head.

No, not on _his_ head—on _Nachos’s_ head. He could see the things Nachos could over on Sora’s side of the world.

“ _You’re gonna need the help!_ ” Sora boasted, and Riku couldn’t help but smile. Sora was so much stronger now, he thought. It left a warm, tingling sensation in his heart thinking about how far Sora had come. Sora ruffled Nachos’s head and Riku realised he had also reached up to scratch their Tyranto Rex—Spaghetti’s chin, and while Riku couldn’t feel it, it made him chuckle.

“ _C’mon, you two. We can’t waste the chance Riku gave us!_ ”

Riku smiled warmly, and the vision cut when Sora let go of their Spirits. Slowly he stood up straight, and smiled down at Minnie.

“A-are you alright?” She asked, and Riku nodded.

“Never better,” he thought, and began formulating an idea in his head.

* * *

The Symphony of Sorcery was a beautiful place, and it made Sora miss his friends. Standing by himself amongst the clouds with a rainbow passing over his head, he took a moment to smile, and take it all in. Music danced along the soft breeze that caressed his skin, and the clouds around him looked soft as cotton candy.

“It’s so pretty here.” He breathed, smiling softly as Nachos approached him, a note in its mouth. Over time, it had learned not to eat the letters—not since an unfortunate incident where it almost ate one of Riku’s notes and choked on it—and obediently handed it to Sora with a proud meow-bark and a wag of its tail. “Thanks, Nachos.” He said softly, and read it.

‘ _The Symphony of Sorcery is beautiful, isn’t it?_ ’

Sora huffed fondly. There really was something about sending each other messages like this, but really, there was something _else_ with having someone there actually _with_ you. Sora knew he wasn’t alone, far from it, what with his and Riku’s new, colourful friends, but he still felt lonely. The company was lovely, their friends sweet and cuddly, but there really was something else about hugging a body, or holding a warm, kind hand.

“You know,” Sora said softly, petting Nachos’s fluffy head, and he laughed in alarm when Riku’s unnamed Aura Lion nudged him gently with its nose. Nodding, Sora pet it too, and he chuckled when it purred contentedly at his touch. “I miss Riku.”

Nachos cocked its head, pawing at Riku’s letter in Sora’s hand, but Sora shook his head.

“It’s… not the same, you know?” He looked down at the letter, thumbing at it fondly. “I just… I just wish we were adventuring together, side by side, and not… like _this._ ”

Nachos whimpered, and the Aura Lion licked his cheek. Sora laughed, and pet the two again.

“Thanks, guys.” He nodded. “We’d better keep moving.”

Nachos pawed at Riku’s letter again, and Sora jolted slightly.

“Oh, right. My reply.” He hesitated for a moment, and grinned. Quickly, he wrote something down, handed it to Meow Wow to hold, and walked onwards through the clouds.

* * *

“It’s… dark.” Riku said flatly, walking through a small crevice in the mountains. When the portal transported him elsewhere, he hadn’t expected almost total darkness. Frowning slightly, he made his way towards a clearing, and his frown deepened when he realised there was no improving the darkness around him.

Still, there was music playing, soft and gentle, swaying like the leaves that rustled under his feet, and Riku found himself smiling as his steps went in time with the music.

“It’s… definitely romantic.” he muttered, Komory Bat and their Keeba Tiger Macaroon following his footsteps, and he came to a stop in front of a glowing artefact on top of a hill. “Reality shift, huh.” He hummed, “Alright then.”

* * *

Sora slowly opened his eyes when he felt something thrumming in his heart. Slowly, he sat up in the bed of flowers he fell asleep in, and he smiled when within the sound of the music playing in the world around him, he could hear something else.

Something warm, and… romantic. A soft, swaying song playing in a darkened forest of luminescent, blooming flowers. Like a waltz of flowers, feather-light footsteps of fairies daintily dancing atop delicate white petals.

“Is that Riku?” He muttered, cuddling close with Nachos when the Spirit whined pitifully, squeezing itself into Sora’s arms. “I think… that’s Riku.”

He shut his eyes, but nothing happened. He couldn’t see anything, he couldn’t see _Riku_. He could only hear, and _feel._

“ _Sora,_ ” he heard Riku’s voice say, and Sora realised he could feel warm arms wrapping around him. “ _Sora, did you see that?_ ” He sounded breathless, and Sora smiled. It’d been a while since he heard Riku sound like that.

“No, I didn’t.” He said quietly. In the wispy, windy waves of his mind, Sora could hear Riku take a shuddering, overwhelmed breath. “I’m sorry.”

“ _No, it’s—I should’ve seen it coming._ ”

Sora’s smile dimmed slightly. There he went again, blaming himself for everything.

* * *

“ _Riku, can you hear me?_ ”

Riku held Komory Bat close, hugging it warmly, and nodded.

“Yeah. I… I’ve missed talking to you like this.”

“ _Me, too._ ” Sora hesitated, “ _But I can’t… I can’t see you._ ”

Riku took a deep breath, and shut his eyes. Behind his eyelids blossomed a beautiful, colourful world—one dotted with flowers and swirling whirlwinds of petals. Right in front of him, Sora looked at him—at _Nachos_ —with a crestfallen look on his face.

“I can see you just fine.” He said, and dared to reach forward.

This time, without Joshua or Shiki or Beat to see him, he cupped Sora’s cheek in his hand. Across the hazy barrier between worlds, Sora shivered.

“ _Was that you?_ ” He asked gingerly, and squeezed Nachos’s paws— _Riku’s hands_ —gently. “ _Riku, I felt it. Was that you?_ ”

“Yeah, it’s me.” Riku smiled, stroking Sora’s hair, and the brunet let out a contented sigh. “But I… I can’t feel you.”

“ _One sensation for another, huh._ ” Sora smiled sadly. “ _Guess that’s just how it is._ ”

Riku huffed fondly. “Tell me what you see. What’s your side of this world like?”

“ _You can see it, can’t you?_ ” Sora huffed.

“Yeah, but I wanna hear it coming from you.” Riku took a deep breath, and concentrated. Just barely, mixing gently like wispy clouds, Riku could hear the music playing in Sora’s side. “It sounds nice.”

“ _Springtime, right in the middle of the day._ ” Sora said, “ _Bright green grass and vibrant flowers. It’s really pretty here. Reminds me of home._ ”

He paused, and flushed prettily.

“ _It reminds me of you._ ”

Riku smiled warmly. “Spring. You think way too highly of me.”

“ _Oh, c’mon, Riku!_ ” Sora pouted. “ _Have you read my letter yet?_ ”

“Oh, not yet.” Riku opened his eyes to see Komory Bat had a small letter between its teeth. He picked it up and read it—

“Not as beautiful as you.” He read flatly, but he was smiling. “Wink, wink. Smiley face, hearts.”

“ _That’s so flat!_ ” Sora huffed, “ _I’m gonna keep moving on if you’re gonna keep doing that!_ ”

“I won’t promise I won’t keep doing that.” Riku hummed, and Sora huffed.

“ _See you in the next area!_ ” He said, and just like that, their connection cut. Riku laughed fondly, and shook his head. Komory Bat looked up at him worriedly, but he patted its head.

“It’s fine, Sora.” He said. “Let’s move on, too. We can try again in the next area.”

The Komory Bat crooned in delight, and Riku laughed softly.

Oh, what would Sora say, if he found out he’d named all the Spirits he made Sora.

* * *

It was raining in the beautiful, beautiful countryside, and Sora knew he was soaked through. Still, he pushed on, flying around with his Spirits until he found a Reality Shift to get rid of the rain. The skies cleared above him, and he heaved a sigh of relief when warm summer light spread over him again. With a small huff, he dried himself off with a small Fire spell, and he shook out any excess water still left in his hair.

He jumped slightly when he felt Nachos nudge his hand lightly with its horn, and he looked down to see it whimpering, holding a letter in its mouth. Miraculously, it seemed dry despite all the rain, and Sora rolled his eyes. He took the letter from the Spirit, ruffling its head as he looked at it.

‘ _Dance with me? Just grab on to Nachos and it’s like we’ll see each other, clear as day._ ’

Sora couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face, covering his silly grin with one hand as he tried not to smile goofily. He wasn’t sure if Riku could see him right then and there, but he held his hands out for Nachos to jump up onto him, settling its paws on his palms.

“Riku?” He ventured, and he felt phantom hands squeezing his own. He smiled warmly, and looked up at where Riku’s face should be. “Hey.”

“ _Hey, Sora._ ” Riku’s voice was warm, and just barely, Sora could still hear the flowers’ waltz playing behind him like the lilt of fairies singing his praises. “ _You’re somewhere beautiful again._ ”

Sora laughed softly, squeezing Nachos’s paws gingerly. “And I can’t see where you are, again.” He paused, and hugged Nachos close to himself, melting in the feeling of Riku’s arms wrapping around him, hugging him back. He realised, then, he didn’t get to see what Riku saw.

“What can you see?” Sora asked, his voice barely a whisper.

“ _Autumn. Leaves turning red and orange._ ” Riku replied soothingly, “ _The wind’s cold._ ” He paused for a moment, and Sora could feel him stroking his hair calmly. “ _What about you?_ ”

“Again?” Sora smiled, pulling away from Riku, and he heard the other boy laugh. “Fine. It’s… summer now, I think. I chased all the rain away, and I’m left with… this place. Soft, rolling hills with pastel flowers. The sun’s in the distance, too.”

“ _Beautiful world, huh?_ ” Riku asked, gently pulling on Sora’s hands, and Sora complied, getting up onto his feet. Nachos whimpered slightly at how high up its paws were going, but fell quiet when Sora kissed its forehead. He jumped slightly when he felt Riku let go of one of his hands, but laughed fondly when he felt a phantom kiss on the back of his hand.

“Wanna dance?” Sora grinned, and squeezed Riku’s hand back, though he knew Riku wouldn’t feel it.

“ _I thought I asked first._ ” Riku replied, and Sora jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his waist. “ _Guess where my shoulder is._ ”

* * *

Riku tried not to laugh at the sight of Sora’s phantom pouting at the spot above his shoulder. “C’mon, Sora. Just give it a try. I’ll tell you if you’re getting warm.”

“ _You know, this is turning out to be way less romantic than it’s supposed to be._ ” Sora huffed, but reached up to grasp Riku’s face. “ _Flat. Is this… your nose?_ ” He stuffed his pinky up Riku’s nostril, and the other teen spluttered, pulling away from him.

He couldn’t even bring himself to get mad—not when Sora was laughing so brightly like that. He’d missed that, the way Sora’s eyes lit up in sheer delight. Riku found himself simply watching as Sora laughed, almost letting go of Nachos with how hard he was laughing, but Riku was quick to keep him from letting go, and gently guided Sora’s hand up to his shoulder.

* * *

“I’m… holding Nachos’s ear.” Sora deadpanned, and the Meow Wow whimpered.

* * *

Riku couldn’t stop the laughter now. He started off with abortive giggles, but soon, he melted into laughter when Sora wiggled his fingers around Nachos’s ear—his _shoulder_ —and Sora smiled warmly back at him.

“ _You know,_ ” he said, “ _It’s been so long since I heard you laugh like that._ ”

That immediately got Riku to sober up, and Sora squeezed his shoulder, even if he couldn’t feel it.

“ _I wish I could see it._ ” Sora continued, his voice quivering slightly. “ _I… I miss you._ ”

“Miss you too.” Riku replied warmly, and pressed their foreheads together. Sora shivered again, and his hand in Riku’s twitched.

“ _Forehead touch?_ ” Sora asked.

“Yep.” Riku stepped closer to Sora’s phantom, and held their hands out together, Sora’s phantom hand following suit. “You ready?”

“ _We’re not exactly listening to the same song._ ” Sora laughed, and Riku smiled down at him.

“Like that matters.” He said, and stepped to the side. Sora followed after him, and soon, somehow, the both of them were dancing, a slow, awkward waltz to the fusion of a tune that seemed to linger in the backs of their minds.

Eventually Sora’s head rested on Riku’s other shoulder, and they were closer than ever before, more of swaying to the beat of a soft song that seemed to intensify in the hazy space between them.

“ _You know, if we really were with each other right now, I’d have already stepped on your feet a hundred times._ ” Sora said, and Riku laughed softly.

“And I’d have the worst timing ever.” He said, “Reality Shifts are hard.”

“ _You just suck at timing._ ” Sora stuck his tongue out at him, and Riku shook his head fondly.

“You’re just bad at dancing.” He shot back, but he quickly sobered up, and sighed.

* * *

Sora jumped when he felt lips on his, and he shut his eyes, kissing Riku back as he hugged the unseen phantom close to himself.

“Let’s do this again when this is all over,” Sora murmured when they parted, and he could feel Riku’s smile at the corner of his mouth. “I wanna see where you’ve gone. How beautiful your side of this world is.”

“ _I wanna see it with you._ ” Riku replied. “ _Promise, Sora. When we’re Masters, we’ll be back._ ”

* * *

Sora’s smile was beautiful, and _god_ did Riku wish he could feel it against his skin.

“ _Yeah._ ” his voice seemed to quiver, a haze in his eyes like the shimmering heat of a hot summer afternoon, rippling light over scorching earth. The moment was delicate—stretched thin over a dread slowly looming over the horizon, and the feeling of unease that Riku carried with him since the sleeping Destiny Islands seemed to only grow.

And he had Sora so close, and so _far_ from him. How he wished he could feel Sora in his arms, Sora against his skin, Sora’s lips brushing his own.

“ _Promise._ ”

And somehow, though he loathed to admit it, he thought Sora could feel it too.


	2. {three}

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> whatever lies beyond this morning is a little later on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [here's a full list of beanie babies that I made](https://twitter.com/trickscd/status/965761978802241537), basing the dream eater naming and baking on my playthrough.
>
>> I’m hyperfixating again on kingdom hearts anyway did you know I was very creative in naming my dream eaters [pic.twitter.com/mir7hLKRK9](https://t.co/mir7hLKRK9)
>> 
>> — bukkun @ vanifucker69 | oh, wormnitas? (@trickscd) [20 February 2018](https://twitter.com/trickscd/status/965761978802241537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

“Can’t sleep?”

It was a stupid question to ask, for sure, but there he was, standing next to Sora by the window of their shared room in Yen Sid’s tower, holding Sora’s hand and trying not to notice the way it trembled against his.

“Yeah.” Sora laughed, like it was nothing, but the dark circles under his eyes and the looming sickeningly yellow tinge inexplicably creeping over his blue, blue hues said anything but. “Looks like it’s one of _those_ nights, huh.”

“Those nights.” Riku repeated. “Right.”

In the next room, Master Aqua, recovered and most importantly— _safe_ , slept soundly. In a pocket out of time, somewhere far away and yet so close by, Kairi and Lea trained to become Keyblade wielders.

And then there was the two of them. Masters, now, sleepless and lonesome staring up at the aurorae lighting up the space between the worlds that waited on them to save them.

Ever since their first brush with the real Organization, Sora hadn’t been able to sleep properly, always needing someone next to him—a grumpy Kairi, squirming, protesting Donald, a kind, understanding Goofy—he clung onto them like a lifeline, and it broke Riku’s heart to think about what Sora could be going through, after having been so close to turning into a Xehanort like that.

Added with the stress that came from his first failure, the news of an unavoidable war and a history so long ago now repeated, and the threat that [_any_ one of his friends could turn into a Xehanort](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14171661), it was a miracle Sora could even stay smiling.

Though, given the kind of person Sora was, Riku realised maybe that wasn’t such a miracle at all.

They stayed silent for a long time, Sora simply leaning on Riku’s side, breathing deeply and slowly, as if trying to ease himself into sleep. Riku patiently waited for him, simply breathing in time with him, but eventually, Sora gave up with a frustrated huff.

“I can’t do it.” he said in a small voice. “I can’t—I can’t fall asleep. Not tonight.”

“What was it this time?” Riku asked, but Sora shook his head. Riku knew better than to pry.

Instead, he kissed Sora’s hair, and hugged him, letting the brunet melt into his arms with a slightly content, albeit frustrated sigh.

He thought back to a time when they were like this, pressed close to each other, melting into quiet, content sighs and listening to the quiet peace of the universe they swore to protect, and suddenly he remembered the Symphony of Sorcery.

“Hey, remember a while back?” He said, and Sora looked up at him. “We made a promise to go see the Symphony of Sorcery together. When we were Masters.”

Sora looked up at him, and Riku wondered what he saw. Were the aurorae reflecting in his eyes, or did he reflect them? Could Sora trace the lines of light and shadow cast over his face, the line of his jaw?

“Yeah, I do.” Sora replied after a long, long moment. “I remember hugging Nachos, and—” He stopped himself, and relief flooded Riku’s heart when he finally smiled. “Oh, did I mention? I can summon them all now? Here, to the real world?”

“You could?” Riku smiled, lacing their fingers. “That’s amazing, Sora.”

“Everyone was there. Nachos, your Komory Bat, Neku’s Necho Cat…” Sora trailed off, and frowned slightly. “You never told me why you never named your Spirits. Neku’s was named Hikaru, wasn’t it?”

“Because you made him name it, yeah.” Riku chuckled, and Sora smacked his arm lightly, snickering. “I still don’t feel like telling you.” He said, and Sora pouted at him.

“How come? I’m like, the best secret keeper ever!” He said, a heartwarming echo of the past, and Riku laughed fondly, squeezing Sora’s hands in his.

“Donald begs to disagree.”

“Donald’s a grumpy old man.” Sora huffed, “C’mon, tell me!”

“Why don’t we just… head back out to the Symphony of Sorcery?” Riku laughed, and Sora frowned at him. “C’mon, while the night is still early.”

“Well, alright.” Sora shrugged. “I’m still gonna keep pestering you about that, you know.”

“I know you will.” Riku hummed, and summoned his Keyblade to his hand as Sora did with his. Sora looked at it warmly, and Riku felt a flush creeping up to his cheeks. “You, uh, still not used to it?”

“Not really.” Sora shrugged, and leaned up to kiss Riku’s cheek. “It’s just… you’ve come really far, you know. Sometimes I wish you can just see that, and appreciate it.”

Riku pinched Sora’s cheek lightly. “The same goes for you, you know.” He chuckled, “Mister Saviour of the Worlds.”

“Shut up.” Sora blushed, and nudged his Keyblade against Riku’s. “Well, we diving or not?”

“Of course.” Riku chuckled, and summoned a portal.

* * *

They dove together, hand in hand, and when they landed in Yen Sid’s study, they were met with the two portals to their own versions of the world, and their Sound Ideas still dancing together, playing that calming heartbeat of a song that played in their hearts when they tried to dance. Riku and Sora shared warm smiles, and still hand in hand, headed over to Riku’s portal.

“Shall we?” Riku asked, and Sora laughed.

“I thought you’d never ask.” He replied, and the both of them touched the pages, letting the light envelop them like a warm, kind embrace.

* * *

Sora opened his eyes to find a dark forest illuminated with beautiful, blooming flowers. Tall, tall grass and bell-like little flower buds glowing with a kind, gentle blue-green light surrounded the place, and tiny little firefly lights swirled in lazy, peaceful infinity-loops over their heads. The music began to play in their ears, and with the swell of instruments in his mind filling up his heart, it took his breath away in a gasp of amazement.

“It’s… beautiful.” Sora breathed, letting Riku pull him along by his hand, taking it all in with amazement. “My side was pretty, but this side—this side, it’s… it’s so like you.” He squeezed Riku’s hand, and affection swelled in this heart.

This time, after all, when he squeezed Riku’s hand, Riku could feel it, and he squeezed back.

“It’s so… beautiful. The most beautiful view I’ve ever seen.”

“Are you saying I’m beautiful?” Riku chuckled, and Sora looked up at him, only realising that Riku had never taken his eyes off him. “Because with the view right now, I’d like to disagree.”

Sora laughed at that, and Riku kissed his temple, gently leading him onwards.

“C’mon, there’s more where that came from.” He said, and Sora nodded, following him along.

* * *

As they came to a field of blooming, glowing flowers cutting a path through the darkness to another forest far ahead of them, they were suddenly swarmed by their Dream Eaters, crooning in delight.

Komory Bat, especially, dove straight for Riku’s face, screeching affectionately as it cuddled him, muffling Riku’s laughter in its soft pastel yellow fur.

“Sora, Sora! I’ve missed you too, buddy.”

Sora stopped, looking up from Nachos to blink at him as Riku was pounced on by more of their Dream Eaters, especially the ones he made.

“I’ve missed you all!” Riku laughed, “I’ve missed you so much!”

“Did he just…” Sora breathed, and looked back down at Nachos. “Did he… did he call _all_ his Spirits Sora?”

Nachos nodded, and cocked its head, as if telling him ‘ _I was wondering when you’d notice._ ’

Sora stifled his laughter behind his hand, and tried calling out to one of Riku’s Spirits.

“Komory Bat!” He called, and the bat, now having been booted from Riku’s face, looked at him witheringly. “C’mon, Sora! Over here!”

As if finally relieved Sora called it by its name, Komory Bat lit up, and hurried over to him, snuggling close to his face as it had done with Riku, crooning in delight. Sora let it stay there, waiting until Riku’s Spirits finally calmed down enough to let Riku face Sora, breathless and flushed, a wide smile on his face.

“I… I hadn’t realised how much I missed them.” He said, suddenly sheepish, and he straightened himself up, scratching his cheek.

“They missed you a lot.” Sora nodded, making his way over to him, and Komory Bat latched onto Riku again. “Sora, Sora, and all the other Soras you made.”

Riku’s cheeks turned bright red at that, and Sora’s grin widened when he hid his face behind his hands. He was practically _steaming_ with embarrassment, and Sora burst out in laughter when Riku let out a muffled shout into his hands.

“You heard.”

“Of course I did.” Sora chuckled, “Jeez, is that why you didn’t want to tell me?” He asked, gently prying Riku’s hands away from his face, and the older teen looked at him witheringly.

“It’s embarrassing.” He mumbled, and Sora snickered again. “ _Sora._ ”

In unison, almost a dozen Spirits perked up and looked at him, including the Komory Bat resting on his head. Sora laughed harder, and Riku groaned, kissing him suddenly to shut him up. Still, Sora was giggling against his lips as the brunet pulled him closer, and Riku couldn’t help but start laughing, too.

Sora’s smile was contagious. His laughter, like music to his ears. There was no way he couldn’t smile around him.

_(The suffering and pain he went through over a year ago was in the past now. Sora loved him, he always had, and he always will. Those days of self-loathing and self-harm and bitter, bitter tears and blood on his hands in front of sterile white pods while the light of his life slept soundly were over. The suffering was over.)_

“Did you name them all after me because you missed me?” Sora hummed when they both calmed down.

Riku tenderly cupped his cheek in his hand, and smiled. “I did.” he said softly, stroking Sora’s cheek with his thumb, and he was glad to feel it warm like his own. Sora’s skin was darker than his, his blush a little more subdued than the bright red on his pale face, but Riku could feel it—the blush that told him Sora was just as affected by all this as he was.

“When you say it so seriously like that, my mind starts going places.” Sora laughed nervously, opting to bury his face in Riku’s chest, as if to hide his own embarrassment from him.

“What kind of places?” Riku asked, and Sora squirmed in his hold.

“Like… like starting a future together.” He mumbled. “Maybe a family. A home?”

Riku felt his ears burning, now.

“O-oh.” He stammered, and Sora pulled away, unable to meet his gaze, though their hands were still laced together.

Embarrassed, but wholeheartedly accepting. Shy, but adoring and loving.

“That’s… um.”

“It sounds stupid, I know,” Sora began, but Riku shook his head.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea.” He said, and Sora blinked up at him. “After all of this is over, Sora. You, and me—we can keep travelling. We can see all the worlds out there. We can settle down, or not—we could visit Kairi at home or at Radiant Garden, train our own pupils—” He pursed his lips, unable to continue with the way Sora was looking up at him with such _wonder_. “I—I’m getting ahead of myself. There’s still Xehanort, a-and the Organization—”

“Riku,” Sora kissed him gently, and when he pulled away, he was smiling. “Don’t think twice. Just go for it.”

Riku laughed deliriously, shaking his head before pulling Sora into a hug.

“I’m sorry, I just—I, uh,” He stammered, “You’re only everything I’ve ever dreamed of. You’re that precious to me. I can’t ask you for all that—you’re not just important to me, you’re important to _everyone_.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Sora laughed softly, “Did you really think I could say no to you?”

There was something overwhelming about the way Sora’s voice sounded so breathless. So warm and content, and it felt like something swelling in Riku’s heart, some spilling from his eyes.

“Sora, I…” Riku couldn’t say it. Not yet, probably not any time soon. Instead he kissed him again, and Sora smiled against his lips, as if telling him it was alright.

Sora loved him.

Love, after all, was something that could wait. For however long it could be.

It could be for a year, weeping in front of a white lotus that would never bloom, it could be ten years, small hands holding smaller hands and nicked wooden swords, dreaming of adventures beyond the stifling seas that bordered them like tall, imposing walls of a fortress.

A lifetime, with someone like Sora. Riku didn’t know if he deserved it, but he did know he wanted it.

He wanted that lifetime, he _yearned_ for it—but for now, it wasn’t a decision only he would make.

“Hey, Riku.” Sora said, when they parted, “Let’s dance.”

“Yeah.” Riku sniffled softly, and let Sora take his hand, letting Sora’s other hand snake to his waist this time, shivering slightly as Sora’s hand gently pressed against his side.

“It was here, right?” He murmured, “Where Xemnas hit you.”

“Yeah.” Riku nodded, holding onto Sora’s shoulder, and slid it up to his neck. “I know what you’re gonna say.”

“Riku—”

“It’s okay. It’s always been okay.” He said, kissing Sora’s forehead, and the brunet sighed. “You probably don’t remember this, but on your 15th birthday, [I made you a promise](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14116092).”

“A… promise?”

“I said…” he took a shuddering breath, and the memory of angry, shallow scars on the inside of his arm stung phantom scratches like a burning brand. “I owed you my life. I promised to give it to you, until the day you don’t need me anymore.”

At the time, he knew it was coming—he knew, someday, Sora would no longer need him the way he used to, and at the time, there was peace inside him at the thought of it.

But now, Sora in his arms, his smile pressed against his lips, living, breathing, _loving him—_

He didn’t want to know. He didn’t want to let go.

“I’ll always need you, silly.” Sora huffed, “Like I’ll always need my friends. I’ll _always_ need you.”

The two of them looked down at their feet, listened to the ebb and flow of the music around them, and felt the wind kissing their skin, tousling their hair. Their Dream Eaters left them a wide berth to move around in, and Sora smiled fondly.

“You ready?” Sora asked, and Riku smiled, weak with tender emotion.

“Always.” He said, and together, they began to dance. A slow, comfortable sway into a waltz in time to a song that went beyond the music that played in Riku’s side of the Symphony of Sorcery—the song that played when their Sound Ideas merged together, and set Mickey free.

It was perfect, absolutely perfect, and Sora knew, that even if Namine came in and rearranged everything in his heart, there was no way she could tamper with this. This memory, of warm, tender comfort and love—this was kept safe under lock and key, and he was never going to let this go.

He was never going to let Riku go, not ever, not again.

They came to a stop with Sora’s head resting against Riku’s shoulders, lethargy and exhaustion finally caught up to him, the calm tenderness of their moment together enough to finally get him to relax, and sleep again.

“Riku, I’m—” Sora’s words blurred into a yawn, and Riku laughed fondly, gently picking Sora up in his arms. “I’m gonna… sleepy.”

“I know,” he said, kissing Sora’s forehead. “Don’t worry. I’ll get us back.”

“Mm… thanks.” Sora clung onto him, and finally fell asleep, smiling softly.

Riku watched him sleep for a moment, and nodded to himself, walking back the way they came, and tailed by all their friends in the Sleeping Realm. Before he left, Nachos whined pitifully, and he laughed, petting Nachos as best as he could before letting the Meow Wow lick Sora’s hand, tutting when it got too violent and Sora began to stir.

Komory Bat pulled Nachos back with a sort-of salute to Riku, and he gave it a smile.

“I’ll see you again, Sora.” he said, and the Komory Bat hissed happily. “Take care of everyone for me.”

It bounced up and down in acknowledgement, and Riku went through the portal.

* * *

“So, you got him to sleep, huh?” Kairi asked quietly, smiling as Sora cuddled closer to Riku unconsciously. Riku nodded, pulling their blanket over Sora and himself, and looked up at her.

“How’s your training going?”

“I set a bit of Lea on fire today.” She said, grinning, and Riku chuckled.

“Attagirl.” He said, and the two of them shared a quiet laugh together while Sora snored quietly.

After a while, they sobered up, and Kairi looked down at her skirt, her hands balling into fists in the fabric.

“Hey, Riku?” She asked, and he hummed. “You’ve… read the Xehanort Reports, haven’t you?”

Riku knew what those are—Master Aqua had them with her when they brought her back, and he went through them after the whole fiasco with the Hundred Acre Wood and the young Xehanort. He frowned, and nodded. “Yeah. Why’d you ask?”

“I’ve read them too.” She said gingerly, rubbing her arm, “Well, some bits of it. Lea had the other half.”

“Huh.”

“That’s… that’s not the point, though.” Kairi looked at him worriedly. “You’ve read that part about opening the door to Kingdom Hearts, right? About what happens after?”

Riku pursed his lips. “I have.” He said, and looked down at Sora, still peacefully sleeping by his side. “Kairi, you don’t think—”

“There’s no other way to it.” She said, “It wouldn’t make _sense_ for anyone else to do it.” her eyes were sad, and she looked at Sora with an expression Riku was sure he was making on his own face. “Not you, not me. But Sora—Sora would open that door.”

“If not Xehanort, then he will.” Riku continued, stroking Sora’s palm with his thumb.

Kairi’s expression tightened. “Is there really no way to avoid this war from happening? Can’t we just—I dunno,” she made abortive gestures with her hands, “Break the stupid Keyblade or—or—Master Aqua’s done it before, right?”

“I don’t know, Kairi.” Riku sighed. “I wish I knew, but I just… don’t.”

She rubbed her arm awkwardly, and peered at him.

“Can I have a hug?” She asked gingerly, and Riku nodded, letting her come around the other side of the bed to hug her one-armed, and she sighed into the crook of his neck. “Riku, I’m so scared. I’m really, really scared.”

“Me too.” Riku admitted, and Kairi squeezed him tighter. “I… I don’t want to let go. Of you. Of _him_.”

“It’s gonna happen, isn’t it.” Kairi’s voice quivered. “It’s… going to happen. And we won’t be able to stop it.”

“Not if I can help it.” Riku said, and Kairi pulled away from him to look into his face.

“I’m not losing you, too.” She said, and he took her hand and squeezed it.

“You won’t. We’re not losing each other. Not this time.”

Kairi smiled back at him worriedly, and he shook his head. “C’mon. Let’s all just go to sleep together.”

“Sure you wouldn’t want me interrupting you lovebirds?” She giggled, and Riku rolled his eyes.

“Hey, we love you too, okay?” He said, scooting over and gently maneuvering Sora to sleep between him and Kairi as she climbed in. “Tuck yourself in. Can’t exactly reach you.”

“Aww, your Sora bias is showing.” Kairi teased, sticking her tongue out at him when Riku pulled a face at her, and she dissolved into giggles, gently waking Sora up. Immediately, she sobered up, but Sora smiled up at her. “Oh, sorry I woke you up.”

“Nah, still sleepy.” Sora mumbled, and cuddled her as well. “Night, guys.”

Kairi and Riku shared warm a warm smile, and the both of them kissed Sora’s temples.

“Goodnight, Sora.” They said, and together, they all settled down to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can't wait for kh3 to come out, killing me instantly and also basically retconning everything i've written. i love canon destroying fanon. it just makes my day.

**Author's Note:**

> yes, all the line breaks are meant to be jarring like that. what, wasn't your experience watching/playing kh3d the same way? jarring and breaky? :^)
> 
> by the way some good (?) news: to those looking for a sequel to the poohnort fic, it's coming.
> 
>  
> 
> _soon._


End file.
